Tandy Seeks Downtown Grocery Store to Fill Borders Space

The Borders bookstore will soon be closed. It’s an anchor tenant in the entertainment district and one of the few places to shop in the area.

Metro Councilman David Tandy, who represents the bulk of downtown, says the city has a number of options to fill the soon-to-be-empty space.

“Obviously retail is one where you’re looking at another store of some type coming down to that area. Also, I’m interested in trying to pursue a grocery store in the area so that that would continue to spur development and living in the downtown area,” he says.

The Baltimore-based Cordish Company handles the 4th Street Live lease for Borders, and the city is working with the developer to fill the space. Last month, Mayor Greg Fischer met with Cordish officers to discuss finding a new tenant.

Tandy plans to draft a formal letter to the mayor and Cordish to share his goal of bringing a retail store to downtown either in the Borders location or elsewhere.